Israel Matzav: Israel's Arabs and what to do about them

Israel's Arabs and what to do about them

Moshe Arens raises an unpleasant topic for Israelis: The 'Israeli Arab' population and what to do about them. The topic is particularly prescient because on Tuesday, an 'Israeli Arab' was sentenced to nearly six years in jail for taking advantage of the fact that he belonged to the same gym as IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi in order to commit espionage on Hezbullah's behalf. Here's Arens:

All evidence points to the fact that the Islamic Movement's northern branch is a subversive movement whose aim is the destruction of the State of Israel. Yet it has been permitted to spread its poisonous propaganda, exploiting Israel's democracy, which it vilifies and seeks to destroy. The government's neglect of the Arab sector leaves fertile ground for those dedicated to preaching hostility toward Israel. So far no measures have been taken to restrain the northern branch's dangerous activity, even though there seems to be full justification to declare its activities illegal. What is the reason for the seeming impotence of the Israeli legal system in this matter?

One should not underestimate the negative effect that such inaction is having on Israel's Arab citizens. Many interpret it as a sign that anyone can feel free to engage in anti-Israeli activity and that the state finds no reason to actively discourage it, or is incapable of doing so. Arab citizens who have moderate views and do not identify with Israel's enemies feel increasingly isolated, as the Islamic extremists seem to be capturing the mainstream of Israeli Arab society. This is happening while the Bedouin in the south, for years neglected by the government, easily fall prey to the preaching of radical Islam.

The government seems to show little interest in Israel's Arab citizens, who represent nearly one-fifth of the country's population. Rarely does a cabinet member or the prime minister visit Arab towns and villages. Minority Affairs Minister Avishay Braverman's proposal to grant financial assistance to some Arab municipalities represents a modest beginning in dealing with the challenge of integrating Israel's Arab citizens into society.

But this only scratches the surface. Should the government seriously consider the subject, it must adopt a two-pronged policy. It needs a long-term program that will benefit Israel's Arab citizens, one that would include improving Arab schools, affirmative action for the Arab community in employment, incentives for doing military and national service, and an emergency program to deal with the Negev Bedouin, the most disadvantaged sector of Israeli society. At the same time, legal measures need to be taken against seditious and subversive organizations preaching violence and support for Israel's enemies. It is late, but not too late.

Arens doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the problem. I am currently reading (nearly finished) Daniel Gordis' Saving Israel, and he spends an entire chapter (Chapter 9, beginning on page 148) on the 'Israeli Arab' problem. Here's some of what he says.

The continuation of the chapter is not online. In the continuation, Gordis argues that the notion of 'mass aliya' is unrealistic. He demonstrates that - to the disappointment of Israel's founders - most Jews who make aliya do so out of compulsion. Thus we have lots of Russians and recently many French Jews but very few (percentage wise) Americans or Brits. At this point, the bulk of diaspora Jewry is in the United States. Sadly, most of those people are not going to pick themselves up and make aliya in the foreseeable future (although another Obama term might convince some of them).

Gordis goes on to argue that under any 'settlement' with the 'Palestinians' it is likely that Jews will be transferred from their homes back to within green line Israel. He argues that if it's okay to transfer Jews, it ought to be okay to transfer Arabs too. He discusses two types of transfer - one is the actual transfer of 'Palestinians' to Arab countries and the other is the transfer of territory (specifically the triangle area, which is the Wadi Arab Valley) to a 'Palestinian' entity.

The main reason that a resolution of the 'Israeli Arab issue is almost never seriously discussed in this country is that there is a double standard with respect to transfer - it's considered okay to transfer Jews but anathema (even among Jews) to discuss transferring Arabs as Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D (may God avenge his blood) discovered in the mid and late 1980's.

For those of you who are interested in the topic, I urge you to buy the book (it's excellent anyway and discusses a lot of other hard questions that the country confronts in a balanced manner).

Israel Matzav: Israel's Arabs and what to do about them